]]>https://slackerplanet.wordpress.com/2013/02/26/new-post/feed/1slackerplanetWebsite Updatehttps://slackerplanet.wordpress.com/2013/02/19/website-update/
https://slackerplanet.wordpress.com/2013/02/19/website-update/#respondTue, 19 Feb 2013 17:03:39 +0000http://reasonwithme.com/?p=1541]]>I have switched ReasonWithMe.com from a WordPress.com blog to a self-hosted WordPress blog site. If you follow me through WordPress, please take note that the site is still alive and kicking at ReasonWithMe.com. I’m not sure how this change will affect notifications. You can sign up for email updates on the site now if you find out you are not receiving updates.

Thanks, James

]]>https://slackerplanet.wordpress.com/2013/02/19/website-update/feed/0slackerplanetDebating On Twitter Requires Superhuman Skillhttps://slackerplanet.wordpress.com/2013/02/18/debating-on-twitter-requires-superhuman-skills/
https://slackerplanet.wordpress.com/2013/02/18/debating-on-twitter-requires-superhuman-skills/#respondMon, 18 Feb 2013 13:06:20 +0000http://slackerplanet.wordpress.com/?p=1532]]>Recently, Twitter has seen a herculean effort to unite atheists. This movement could be labeled astonishing, amazing, or perhaps spectacular. It is most certainly super. Atheists are teaming up to debate believers as well as support and defend innocent non-believers against the onslaught of religious proselytizers. It also good to have someone who can help you when a theist reports you for making sense and Twitter suspends your account.

This movement took a page right out of the comic books. The groups are named after famous superhero team-ups we all know and love. There is the Atheist Justice League (AJL), the Atheist Avengers (AV) as well as the Atheist X Men (AXM).

Over the weekend, I was recruited by the Atheist X Men group on Twitter. My Twitter account is still @Reason_With_Me but my new superhero name is AXM: Cyclops.

Please take the time to follow me on Twitter (see sidebar for follow button). Now, not only will you have myself on your side but also the entire Atheist X Men group to support and defend you in any theological crisis.

]]>https://slackerplanet.wordpress.com/2013/02/18/debating-on-twitter-requires-superhuman-skills/feed/0Astonishing-X-menslackerplanetThe Camille Paglia Argumenthttps://slackerplanet.wordpress.com/2013/02/15/the-camille-paglia-argument/
https://slackerplanet.wordpress.com/2013/02/15/the-camille-paglia-argument/#respondFri, 15 Feb 2013 16:17:18 +0000http://reasonwithme.com/?p=1282]]>Recently I had a discussion on Facebook with a Catholic friend. It began as a comment from her joking that I need to go to confession. I responded by explaining how Catholic confession is not supported by scripture. After going back and forth discussing whether or not one should respect faith without evidence (which I do not), she responded by saying:

I think you are short-sighted on the subject of religion. There are many deep truths and mysteries to every faith. You are really only scratching the surface by focusing on the negative.

I get this a lot. This obsession that I am focusing on the negative. It may appear that way but the reason I talk about the negative is because it NEEDS to be talked about. We can no longer, for the sake of humanity, bury our heads in the sand about the dangers of blind faith. I will also add that any positives gained from religion exist outside of religion. I and all the millions of non-believers are proof of this. Good also existed prior to God and religion. It is in our species best interest to get along and we knew this before we invented gods.

When I asked for evidence for the so-called “mysteries of faith” the response I got was this:

Mysteries don’t yield “evidence” in the traditional sense. Camille Paglia is an intellectual/atheist who has some interesting things to say about religion. You have the right to express your point of view, but when you take on thousands of years worth of traditions, you should be well-informed on the subject, and that is quite an undertaking. Good luck.

She than posted a link to the video below.

First, I love when theists use an atheist for their argument. It makes things so much easier. Second, the statement which suggests that I am not “well-informed” on the subject of religion and its history is just silly. Read my blog. The concept my friend appears to be defending is that religion is beneficial as well as holds some kind of secret knowledge and truth that can not be put into words.

In the video, Camille Paglia states that “religion has been overwhelmingly beneficial to humanity.” It upsets me when theists cherry pick statements by atheists to support their religion. Those ignorant of what she is talking about run with it and think that the actual belief in the dogma is what she is referring to.. That is not what Paglia is talking about.

Paglia is an atheist. She doesn’t believe that the ‘belief’ in gods or Jesus is what matters. What she is talking about is the iconography of religion. She is talking about religion in an anthropological and historical context. I can not argue this point. I encourage people to study the history of their faith. The study of the origins of religion will ultimately lead to atheism. Even in this video she discusses the evolution of the Christ figure.

Paglia believes George Lucas is the most important artist of our time. I couldn’t disagree more. Joseph Campbell also used Star Wars as an example of the modern myth. When I was younger, before the Star Wars Special Editions and the Prequels, I would agree. But Lucas has lost his Myth Cred. Disney, now being in charge of the Star Wars franchise might give it another chance at being special.

The way Paglia and Campbell look at Christianity is the same way they look at ancient Greek and Roman myths. The same way they look at STAR WARS. You could rewrite her statement to read “Star Wars has been overwhelmingly beneficial to humanity” without changing the meaning. To suggest that Paglia believes that faith in these religions as truth is to be completely unschooled in comparative religion. Anyone who thinks this needs to actually open a book besides the bible.

I like to say that to cite Camille in a religious debate is an Argument from ‘ARThourity.’ It’s a combination of art and authority — yeah, I just coined that. Religion is important in understanding our species. The study of it can help us understand us better. But it doesn’t need to continue to exist to learn from it. We don’t have to fight World War II all over again to study and learn from it. Loving religion, its art and its history, through a secular lens can be very beneficial to society and this is what Paglia is talking about in this video. She does not in anyway think we should take myth as fact. Joseph Campbell said it best:

Every religion is true one way or another. It is true when understood metaphorically. But when it gets stuck in its own metaphors, interpreting them as facts, then you are in trouble. (emphasis is mine)

To have watched the interview of Camille Paglia and think she thinks religion as fact is beneficial is to complete misinterpret her statement. This is what happens when religious people cherry pick quotes from atheists in support of religion.

]]>https://slackerplanet.wordpress.com/2013/02/15/the-camille-paglia-argument/feed/0camillie_pagliaslackerplanetmythmaker-the-life-and-work-of-george-lucasPut ‘Saint’ Back In Valentine’s Day: The Nonexistent Warhttps://slackerplanet.wordpress.com/2013/02/14/put-saint-back-in-valentines-day-the-nonexistent-war/
https://slackerplanet.wordpress.com/2013/02/14/put-saint-back-in-valentines-day-the-nonexistent-war/#respondThu, 14 Feb 2013 14:33:30 +0000http://slackerplanet.wordpress.com/?p=1506]]>Where is the “War on Valentine’s Day?” Today millions of lovers will celebrate Valentine’s Day and in a truly secular manner. Since the origins of Valentine’s Day are Christian, why isn’t there a push from the religious to bring the holiday back to its holy roots as they do during Christmas?

Like Christmas, Valentine’s Day began as a pagan holiday. Two were very popular on this day. The first was a celebration to honor Juno Fructifer, Queen of the Roman gods and goddesses as well as the goddess of marriage. The celebration was to promote fertility and life.

Another pagan holiday that ran from February 13-15 was the Feast of Lupercalia. The god of fertility, Faunus, was celebrated during this feast. The men would sacrifice goats, make whips out of the goat skin and whip the women with them. This somehow promoted fertility. I do not recommend trying this at home unless you are both consenting and into that sort of thing.

But Valentine’s Day is named after Saint Valentine. There is dispute about which Saint it is named after (there were three), but the most common is a priest who went against a decree forbidding men in the military to marry (their girlfriends, not each other).

This priest secretly married men with their wives despite the decree and was eventually caught, imprisoned and executed. Prior to his death, he fell in love with the jailer’s daughter and slipped her a note. The note was signed, ‘From your Valentine.’

Like Christmas, the Catholic Church adopted the pagan holiday and put a Christian spin on it. In 469, emperor Gelasius declared February 14th a holy day in honor of Saint Valentine. The pagan celebrations would now be celebrated as Saint Valentine’s Day.

For centuries it is all about being holy but during the Renaissance of the 14th century the holiday returns to its roots of love and life rather than faith and martyrdom.

In 1969, the Catholic Church dropped Valentine’s day from its calendar. The holiday became a commercial success, third behind Christmas and Halloween.

Today despite its Christian name, Valentine’s Day is secular and pagan once again.

This is proof that one day the world may celebrate Christmas as a completely secular event. If Christians can let go of a holiday devoted to a romantic priest who was martyred, perhaps letting go of the birth of a crucified Jewish rabbi won’t be too much to ask either. Atheists must never relent. If atheists keep turning people from the Dark Side of Religion, future holidays won’t be tainted with the stink of holy men.

]]>https://slackerplanet.wordpress.com/2013/02/14/put-saint-back-in-valentines-day-the-nonexistent-war/feed/0Valentine's Day Massacreslackerplanetwhip-and-sexSt ValentineYou Look Like An Ashhole!https://slackerplanet.wordpress.com/2013/02/13/you-look-like-an-ashhole/
https://slackerplanet.wordpress.com/2013/02/13/you-look-like-an-ashhole/#respondWed, 13 Feb 2013 14:49:35 +0000http://slackerplanet.wordpress.com/?p=1494]]>Today is Ash Wednesday, the Catholic sacramental to mark the beginning of Lent. The 40 day period is a reflection of the 40 days in which Jesus went into the desert after his baptism to fast and pray before beginning his ministry. During this time he was tempted by the devil but never fell into temptation. I wouldn’t be surprised if most Catholics didn’t even know why they put ash on their face and look like complete douchebags.

Here’s a Fun Fact:

The account of Jesus in the desert for 40 days is in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. However, John omits this. Jesus begins his ministry the very next day after his baptism.

So which was it? Did Jesus go into the desert immediately after his baptism or did he immediately begin his ministry? It depends on which gospel you read.

Catholics avoid eating meat and some go so far as fasting for the entire day. It is also a time of repentance. But why the ashes in a cross shape on the forehead? Why does the Catholic Church insist in making its flock look like complete assholes?

As a child, I usually was in school when I received the burnt ashes from last year’s Palm Sunday palms. Since all of us had them it wasn’t too strange. I did find it annoying that the nuns would come around and inspect your lunch to ensure that you didn’t have meat. As for the ashes, It wasn’t until I would get home and have to go out with my Mom or Dad somewhere. You were supposed to keep it on until it wore off on its own.

A person with burnt shit on their face doesn’t look holy, you look like you got dirt on your face while working on something and nobody told you. This look does not work for anybody and I’m sure if I were to go today to get ashes I would look like Charles Manson.

The ashes are a reminder of our mortality. I don’t know about feeling mortal while wearing them but certainly I felt mortified when someone outside the church caught me in public with smeared ashes on my face.

It is interesting to note that Ash Wednesday or the custom of Lent is not mentioned at all in the bible. However there are several mentions of repentance and mourning with ashes in the bible, mostly in the Old Testament. You can find a passage in the New Testament:

“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.” – Matthew (11:21)

I suppose I should be thankful that the Catholic Church didn’t make it “Sackcloth Wednesday” –

Christianity: You’re Doing It Wrong

For Darwin Day, I thought it would be fun to look at the evolution of Christianity. Not the entire 2000+ years, mind you but the origin of the ‘species,’ when Christianity crawled out from the River Jordan. The day Jesus was baptized.

Farmer Fred

Imagine for a moment a farmer in 1st century Palestine. Let’s call him Farmer Fred. Farmer Fred is lower class and illiterate. He travels to see John the Baptist preach and on that day he is introduced to a new traveling prophet who is preaching about the Kingdom of God. His name is Yeshua and he is from Nazareth.

He begins to travel with Yeshua. They do a lot of eating and drinking wine. They keep company with the unclean and hated people, like prostitutes and tax collectors.

Yeshua is charismatic and he talks about God as a loving and forgiving father (‘Abba’). He preaches that the Kingdom of God is coming and soon! By soon he means in Farmer Fred’s lifetime. Yeshua believes it will be in his own lifetime as well.

Compared to John the Baptist’s message Yeshua seems a bit more all-inclusive and lovey-dovey. Yeshua was saying that people like Farmer Fred would be worthy in this new Kingdom. This message is very appealing to the downtrodden.

As a Jewish man, Farmer Fred does his best to follow the Jewish law and be a righteous man. Fred is happy to see that Yeshua still thinks the Law was important but Yeshua reinterprets the Law so it isn’t as strict. The Law, as Yeshua says, was made for man, not the other way around. Yeshua wasn’t proclaiming that one should abolish the Law but he felt good deeds were more likely to let you enter the Kingdom of God. It was all about treating your neighbor with love.

Eventually, Farmer Fred became disenchanted with Yeshua. He went back home along with many other of Yeshua’s followers. Yeshua’s message, although popular for a very brief period, was no longer interesting to the masses. People got bored with Yeshua. A first century one-hit wonder prophet.

Then Fred hears that Yeshua did something crazy. He went into Jerusalem during Passover and caused a big stink. Farmer Fred assumes that this was Yeshua’s last attempt to get people to pay attention to his message, kinda like when a female celebrity gets out of a car with no panties and exposes herself to the public but on a donkey.

It was no surprise to Farmer Fred that Yeshua was arrested. Yeshua’s closest followers fled and hid while Yeshua was tried and crucified for being a messianic pretender. Yeshua’s body was dumped in a mass grave and he was never seen again.

Farmer Fred thinks to himself, ‘it’s just another day in Palestine.’

Yeshua or as he is more commonly known today, Jesus of Nazareth was not really a big deal. In fact no records of these events are recorded anywhere outside the bible until at least 100 years after his death.

The question I ask myself is what would Farmer Fred believe as the first Christian; as someone who actually hung out with Jesus?

First, he wouldn’t call himself a Christian. Jesus did not think he was creating a new religion. He was Jewish. At best, he had a different interpretation of Judaism. But he certainly wasn’t starting a new religion.

Fred wouldn’t think Jesus was divine or the Son of God. Jesus never claimed to be divine or the Son of God. Historically, all we can say is that he saw himself as a prophet. He didn’t even claim to be the messiah but that wouldn’t matter because…

The Jewish people did not think the messiah was anything but human. He was anointed by God to lead the Jewish in a revolt against the nations that oppressed them but he wasn’t a god. The messiah was a warrior and a threat to the Roman Empire. He would help bring the new Kingdom of God to the people of Israel.

Fred wouldn’t think Jesus was the “The Son of Man” which again was just a term for a human but not divine. Jesus did not claim to be the ‘Son of Man.’

Fred wouldn’t think that the ‘Kingdom of God’ was heaven. It was an actual kingdom.

If Fred ever thought Jesus was the messiah, which some of Jesus’ followers might have thought, he would have changed his mind once he found out Jesus was crucified. Nobody thought the messiah would be a suffering messiah.

Fred would have never witnessed any miracles. Maybe an exorcism or a faith healing but we know how fake those are, don’t we? There is nothing historically to support Jesus’ miracles. Besides, everyone during those times was performing miracles. It was like Hogwarts in the first century seeing how much magic was going on back then.

Fred could have been tempted to leave his family since, despite what some American’s preach today, Jesus did not preach family values. He was against the family.

Eventually, when no Kingdom of God came, Farmer Fred would realize that Jesus was a failed apocalyptic prophet — like everyone before and after him.

Basically the first followers of Jesus did not see him as divine or a Son of God. He was just like all the rest and not really that great. The Kingdom of God was a real kingdom in the story. It wasn’t a myth. And in order to have a kingdom you need a ruler. The Romans knew of this and saw anyone preaching or claiming to be a messiah as dangerous to the Roman Empire. It would be like someone threatening the United States Government today. But if Jesus didn’t claim to be the messiah, why did they kill him?

It is believed by many scholars that his followers could have been making that claim. It is also possible that Judas betrayed him by telling the authorities that Jesus was claiming to be the messiah and that is why he was arrested and killed.

One thing we know for sure is that what Christians today think is Christianity is so far removed from what any person walking along the side of Jesus would have thought he was preaching. In fact, Jesus wouldn’t even recognize today’s Christianity as what he himself was preaching.

Let me put it this way, if Jesus’ ministry was a Hollywood movie, it would have been a major box office flop. However, it would have picked up a cult following on DVD–with bonus footage; a director’s cut. Or shall we call it The Christ Edition.

]]>https://slackerplanet.wordpress.com/2013/02/12/darwin-day-special-the-primordial-jesus/feed/0Rock_n_Roll_Jesus_Christ1slackerplanetFarmer FredNazi Pope Resigns From Pedophile Recruiting Agencyhttps://slackerplanet.wordpress.com/2013/02/11/nazi-pope-resigns-from-pedophile-recruiting-agency/
https://slackerplanet.wordpress.com/2013/02/11/nazi-pope-resigns-from-pedophile-recruiting-agency/#respondMon, 11 Feb 2013 14:33:11 +0000http://slackerplanet.wordpress.com/?p=1467]]>Shocking news swept the world today when former Hitler Youth alumni, Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation from the papacy. He will step down on February 28th, 2013. He is the first Pope to resign in nearly 600 years. He cites age as his reason but rumors are spreading across the internet faster than gonorrhea in a brothel. Some people are claiming he lost his faith after reading Richard Dawkins’ book The God Delusion.

Others state that he is being indicted for covering up the thousands of child molestation cases. I tend to think Twitter put him over the edge.

It has only been two months since the Pope joined Twitter and ever since he has been attacked by people from all over the globe in 140 characters or less.

Whatever his reasons, many seem excited to see this pope end his reign. Some hope that perhaps the Catholic Church will do something right and put someone in place who wouldn’t allow child rape and who cares about women’s rights and other human concerns.

I personally think they should just end the papacy all together. It’s complete bullshit. Most of them were evil fucks anyway. However, if we can’t end it, I think it is is time for a woman pope. Do you agree?

]]>https://slackerplanet.wordpress.com/2013/02/11/nazi-pope-resigns-from-pedophile-recruiting-agency/feed/0Nazi-Pope-ResignsslackerplanetPope-Reading-DawkinsBook Review: No Kingdom Comehttps://slackerplanet.wordpress.com/2013/02/10/book-review-no-kingdom-come/
https://slackerplanet.wordpress.com/2013/02/10/book-review-no-kingdom-come/#respondSun, 10 Feb 2013 17:25:34 +0000http://reasonwithme.com/?p=1456]]>When I was a child there was an underpass around our neighborhood that we often drove through. On the wall of the underpass was graffiti in big block letters that read, “GOD LIES.” Each time we would pass this I would often wonder who spray painted those words. What was their story and why were they so angry with God? Months and months would go by and I would invent stories about the person who was proclaiming to the world that God wasn’t an honest deity. Then one day we passed it and spray painted over the word LIES was a new word. It now read, “GOD LOVES.” Despite the attempt to cover up the word LIES you could still see it beneath. This new word made my mind do flips. Was this the same person who originally wrote LIES and was back in God’s good graces? Or was this a Christian who couldn’t handle seeing GOD LIES on the wall anymore? I will never know but this story from my past crossed my mind as I read No Kingdom Come
by C.J. Anderson.

No Kingdom Come is a hard book to review because it is written as the author is experiencing the turmoil he is writing about. This is not a reflection on the author’s life. It is more like an argument between himself and God. The book contains the ramblings of a person going through hell. This is important to know going into this book. It isn’t a memoir in which the author cohesively walks you through the trials and tribulations of his life. The author is all over the place emotionally because he is going through it as he writes. And despite some reservations I have with this book, which I will address, it is this inner turmoil that makes this book so fascinating. I read this book in one sitting. I kept turning the (virtual) pages trying to understand the author but often wanting to shake some sense into him. Reading this book is like sitting down with a troubled friend who you desperately want to help but have no idea where to start.

The Amazon book description is as follows:

What if all your hopes and dreams are based on a lie? Experience an intellectual and emotional 14-year journey into the euphoric bliss of God’s love, the elated comfort of His promises, and the endless devastation of realizing He is a delusion. No Kingdom Come is a religious, psychological account of a life devoted to seeking God, and the shocking discovery that followed. Based entirely on true events.

The author is having a tough time with his current marriage, which incredibly he is still married to a women he claims is abusive, a sociopath or possibly bi-polar. Besides her attractive looks, he doesn’t paint her in a positive light. If the author’s experience with his wife is absolutely true, he needs to leave her STAT. He needs to embrace atheism and begin to love life. But there are always two sides of every story. I know. I was married and divorced and we had a child also. So I don’t want to get into that as much. Why I bring this up is that it appears that this woman, not being the gift from God he thought she would be is what sends him spiraling out of control and is the catalyst which makes him question the existence of God.

It would seem that the author’s hope is to have other Christians read this book and realize that they are deluded and believing a lie. He calls it a “cautionary tale.” The author fails, in my opinion, to provide any evidence to support this claim. His evidence is as follows:

“Sara (his wife) was my faith incarnate. She was the unquestionable evidence that God is real.”

Theologically there is so much wrong with that statement. Hardcore Christians who read this book will be able to refute everything he says and will claim that just because the author’s life sucks doesn’t prove God doesn’t exist. God does not owe him anything according to Christianity. I do not even think it can de-convert liberal Christians. Also, as an atheist, he provides nothing new to refute Christianity. But that is not why I think you should read this book. I’ll get to why I recommend this book later.

I also struggle believing the author is truly agnostic or an atheist. The book reads as if he still believes but he is arguing with God. Of course, he claims he no longer believes and he says it is a lie but he often refers to God or Jesus in ways that sound like he still believes. I wonder (and I hope I am wrong) if the author’s life took a turn in a wonderful direction, would he come back to Jesus and thank him for the change? Would he be like the person who returned to spray paint LOVES over LIES?

My fear is that without this knowledge he could backslide into Christianity very easy if his wife all of a sudden changes to be someone great or he finds someone new to fill the void in his current life. I can’t go into detail of what I see as wrong in his knowledge of the history of the bible, who actually wrote it and how it was put together. That would take too long. But from what I read it would help him move on and away from Christianity. Now, he could already know all this but I don’t see it within the pages of No Kingdom Come.

So why should you read this book? I believe what this book captures is the damage religion can do to a person. The author’s faith was so prevalent in his life that when he lost it he became suicidal. It is clear from the disorganization of his thoughts from one chapter to the next that religion has poisoned this man’s mind. Clearly, religion does not provide a person with the skills needed to live life. Without the Jesus crutch, the author is a mental mess. Out of nowhere there is a short chapter on lust that seems out of place in the entire book. He clearly can not think rationally when it comes to his current marriage situation. If it is as bad as he portrays, to the point of suicide, he needs to leave the marriage. Not only that, but if the author truly no longer believes in God and his wife is a hard core fundie who believes people can speak in tongues, there is no way to salvage that marriage. Anyone who struggled with giving up faith knows the confusion and heartache involved. Personally, it has been so long for me, I forget what it was like. But here it is. Captured as it happens.

This book is a fascinating and scary trip into the mind of a struggling Christian. It is a clear example of how faith without evidence is dangerous to an individual. And although he fantasizes about this past belief in a loving creator who you get to spend eternity with, I don’t think he is embracing life as a non-beleiver yet. And why should he? These are current events he is writing about. No Kingdom Come is a look into that mental leap from blind faith to the emancipation from the shackles of religious enslavement. I think a second book from C.J. Anderson after the turmoil subsides and he embraces being a non-believer would be a wonderful follow-up to the tulmultous tales of No Kingdom Come. We all want a happy ending, right?

At one point in the book the author vents, “I must find something, or someone, worth living for. But what? Who? Could she (Sara) still be the one?”

No! It’s not her. It is YOU. You C.J. Anderson are the one. You are worth living for. You wrote a book. That is a huge accomplishment. You have (as of this writing, 19,666 followers on Twitter (I can’t help but laugh that the number of the beast came up). You have the ability to create videos on youtube that are visually appealing. You don’t need Jesus. You don’t need a woman. You need you and once you take care of yourself, you will see things improve. You can be a powerful ally in the fight against religion. Will life be perfect? No. Whether you are a Christian or an atheist, life is a challenge. But you find friends and you push on because we only have one life. Don’t waste it on gods or women who don’t treat you right. Make it matter. Keep writing.

]]>https://slackerplanet.wordpress.com/2013/02/10/book-review-no-kingdom-come/feed/0Christ-the-Kingslackerplanet41xV1heQPpL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-73,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_Winter Storm Nemo: Sign of End Times?https://slackerplanet.wordpress.com/2013/02/08/winter-storm-nemo-sign-of-end-times/
https://slackerplanet.wordpress.com/2013/02/08/winter-storm-nemo-sign-of-end-times/#respondFri, 08 Feb 2013 15:12:33 +0000http://reasonwithme.com/?p=1449]]>Whenever a historical weather event blows into town, Christians begin screaming it is a sign of the End Times. As Winter Storm Nemo (when did we start naming winter storms?) sets its sights on the Northeast of America, some Christians began citing bible passages as ‘proof’ the end is nigh.

“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.” (Luke 21:25-26)

“For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.” (Romans 8:22)

These are vague and can be interpreted many ways. Bad weather always existed. Good apocalyptic writing needs to be vague so it can be applied at any time and any place. But that is irrelevant.

Christians who are anxiously awaiting the end are ignorant of scripture and history. Jesus and the early Christians, including Paul, did not think that the end was going to be thousands of years away. They thought it would be during their lifetime. Jesus thought the end was going to happen during his generation.

“So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” (Matthew 24:33-34)

Jesus was a failed apocalyptic prophet. The writers were writing about what was going on around them. 666 (or 616 depending on what ancient text you reference) was the number of the beast and the beast was Nero. It wasn’t a future person. They were writing about the Emperor of Rome.

After time, the end never came Jesus and Paul died. New generations of Christians unsure why Jesus’ predictions never came to fruition had to revise Christianity and ever since we have had followers of Jesus claiming that we are living in the End Times. And all of them have been wrong. For over 2000 years they have been wrong. And they are still wrong. An honest study of the New Testament would make it clear that if the Christians from back then were to see us today, they would tell today’s Christians to just give it up already.

And how do we know that the men who decided to put Revelations (The Apocalypse of John) in the bible picked the correct apocalypse writing? There was also the Apocalypse of Peter that almost made it into the canon. Many thought that Peter’s should have been in the bible but not John’s.

Yes, storms may be more severe but it has nothing to do with an angry Sky Daddy. It has to do with the carelessness of our species in treating this world with respect. The end will not come. Jesus will not come. God will not smite. The only end we should fear is one that we bring upon ourselves. But that we can control. We can change and the future can indeed be bright.

In the meantime, build a snowman, go sledding, sit next to a fireplace with hot cocoa and enjoy life.

P.S. If anyone can come up with a good Finding Nemo / End Times Title to this article, post it in the comments below. Let’s see who can come up with the funniest.